10080
by ChocolateYehet
Summary: "Thank you for loving me even if it was just for a week and thank you for making me feel as if you loved me again. You took me back to a time when you loved me and that's all I could ever ask for in this short lifetime. I love you, dragon. Thank you for everything..." —Natsu&Lucy one-shot. Based on an EXO fanfiction.


**a/n : **First of all, this story is not mine. It is originally an EXO Chanbaek/Baekyeol fanfic by the one and only amazing EXObubz–I think that's his/her name. All credit goes to the author, the story is not mine.

I loved the story so much I cried and decided to make a NaLu version of it. And since it's such a sweet story, I wanted you NaLu–and possibly none K-popper–fans to read it. Again, Fairy Tail and 10080 doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Hiro Mashima and EXObubz

Enjoy the story!

Wordcount = 13,659 (without author's note)

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**10080**

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Their time of courtship lasted only seven months. Their happiness was measured in the amount of laughter they shared, the amount of endless nights where they spent tangled in each other's arms, and the amount of love they had for one another. Brief kisses on the college campus sufficed whereas the nights satisfied. It took Natsu two weeks to come down from his composed cloud to gather up the courage to approach the petite blonde in one of his classes, but it only took Lucy a second to say yes to whatever the handsome pink-haired guy was asking her.

Within a month, they learned about each other. Lucy was a writer majoring in English and journalism, though she didn't have plans on working for any magazines or newspapers. The blonde preferred writing novels and being her own independent person. Natsu was in marketing and business. Everyone who saw them thought that the two were an unlikely pair. Lucy was open about her thoughts and constantly smiling, whereas Natsu always had this look on his face along with a quiet demeanor. Their differences went deeper than their majors and personality. Lucy liked her coffee with milk and sugar and wrote works of impossible situations and fantasies. Natsu, on the other hand, liked his coffee black and preferred practically and realism _over _fantasy. People believed Lucy's outrageous and fun personality would never click with Natsu's collected and rational self.

But they were wrong.

Seven months of absolute perfection, Natsu proposed and his petite blonde beauty, Lucy Heartfilia, said yes.

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They waited a few months before promising to love each other until death would tear them apart. After their graduation and wedding, they found an apartment. It was small, but it didn't bother them. Lucy's touches made it into a home;a home that Natsu enjoyed returning back to at the end of a hard and tiring day at work. Every night he'd hold Lucy and whisper promises of a bigger–and better–house, one where they could decorate to a broader horizon. And every night, Lucy would smile into Natsu's bare chest and thank him.

Natsu's work ethic and charming personality at work enabled him to climb up the company latter quickly. As his income rose, so did their bank account. One night, Natsu gently pulled Lucy's laptop away from her and set it on a nearby coffee table. Then he kneeled before the blonde, taking his wife's hand into his.

"Luce," he started rather slowly, keeping Lucy's gaze, "I wanna buy you that house I've always been promising to buy for you one day."

With quivering lips, Lucy nodded profusely before gasping, wrapping her arms around her husband's neck while thanking him. That night, they entangled themselves in each other, savoring the touches and making love slow and deep.

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The house had to accommodate what Natsu thought Lucy needed for his line of work; peace and serenity. They found a small, but perfectly quite estate out in a spaced out higher class neighborhood out near the country. When the pink-haired man looked at Lucy and asked, "What do you think, Lucy?" he already knew the answer.

"I love it, Natsu..."

Smiling, Natsu took Lucy's hand in his. "Then let's get it."

Looking up to her husband, Lucy looked a little bit worried. "But it's an hour away from your work."

Natsu only shrugged. "If you love it then I don't really mind. It's only sixty minutes to and then sixty minutes back. It's not an impossible feat to commute back and forth, Luce."

After a moment, the blonde asked him again if it was really okay. Natsu nodded and soon after, the papers were signed.

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The arrangement was for Natsu to travel back and forth from work, but as time dragged on, work began to pile and pile even more, causing the man to work overtime. As the endless cycle continued on, he found it quite hard to commute on a daily basis. He often found himself tired and blurry eyed when driving. Because of all this, Natsu had to drink caffeine before driving–which would either cause him to crash during work or make him unable to sleep once he arrived back home.

Lucy began to feel guilty for enjoying a nice and quiet life while her husband labored to give her that type of lifestyle. Contemplating about other alternatives, Lucy came to one possible solution to the problem.

"Natsu, maybe you should–uh.. Get an apartment in the city."Lucy gently suggested at the dinner table one night. When she raised her eyes to her husband, she saw tired eyes looking back at her.

"You want me to get a _**what?**_" Natsu said, sounding awfully like he was in disbelief.

Sighing, Lucy only gave him a concerned look. "I don't like seeing you this way, Natsu. Every day you go to work looking like you're half dead. Then when you come back home, you end up looking worse. You spend two whole hours just going back and forth. That could be time that you'd be using to get more sleep..."

In a bad mood, Natsu rubbed the corner of his eyes. "Luce, I'm perfectly fine."

"No, you're not!"Lucy argued. "Listen, an apartment could mean–"

"I said _**I'm fine**_, Lucy," Natsu repeated rather sharply. "Quit worrying, damn it."

Lucy grew irritated at Natsu's indifference. Setting down her utensils, Lucy stood up from the table. "Well, is it actually a bad thing to worry about you?!"she cried in a strained voice.

Unlike Lucy, Natsu kept himself in his seat. "Lucy, sit down."

With closed fists, the blonde glowered. "No. Natsu, you're not hearing me out. I just wanna help you."

"_Help _me?"Natsu snapped. "No, Luce. To me, having you try and case the idea of me getting a separate place to live makes it seem like you want me gone." The lack of sleep and the fact that he had been overworking himself did no good other than make him more irritable.

Taken aback, Lucy looked shocked. "That is _**not **_what I want, Natsu!"

"Keep your voice down, Lucy,"Natsu growled. "you're being too loud."

Frustrated, Lucy harshly pushed her chair in. "I don't want you gone! You're such a frustrating man, but–damn it, I love you! So it hurts me watching you add two more hours of stress onto your day just traveling back and forth."Lucy bit her lips. "It hurts so bad, Natsu, but you don't see it because the moment you step in this house, you fall asleep. You don't even look at me anymore because you're that tired."

For a moment, Lucy waited for a response, but Natsu remained static. Then he said, "You're being overdramatic."he muttered.

Lucy felt as if she was just struck. It was obvious that there was no reaching Natsu. Her husband refused to listen to her and even had the outlandish audacity to call her out for being "overdramatic"when in the fact, she was just expressing her concerns. Shaking, she turned and left the table fore Natsu could see the bitter tears forming in the blonde's eyes.

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When Natsu's mind was finally in full clarity, he reevaluated Lucy's proposal the night before. He admitted his fault for not allowing Lucy the chance to present his case, but ultimately blamed the lack of sleep for causing his sour and disagreeable mood that night. Finally willing to hear out his wife, Natsu knocked on Lucy's closed and locked office door.

"Luce, I know you're in there. Open up." As a minute passed by, Natsu knocked again. "Lucy, open the door. We need to talk and you letting me just stand out here is wasting time."

It wasn't long until Natsu finally heard Lucy unlock the door. Letting himself in, Natsu watched as Lucy turned her back to him to sit down at her desk. Natsu wasn't amused at Lucy's decision to give him the cold shoulder, but he rationed that he probably deserved it. Neither of them spoke for the longest time until Natsu set his hands on the back of Lucy's chair, leaning over her.

"Luce..."he said softly. "You know I don't like it when you ignore me..."

Turning her head around, Lucy gave her dragon–an old nickname from school she gave–a sad, but angry look. "But, when I actually care, I'm overdramatic, right?"

In that moment, Natsu regretted not biting down his tongue the night before. He knew that they were different. Lucy liked to voice herself out wether that meant moving her hands or straining her voice, whereas _Natsu _liked to keep himself settled. But sometimes he'd forget that Lucy's habits made Lucy herself.

With a solemn look on his face, Natsu swiveled Lucy's chair around and pulled her up. When Lucy resisted, Natsu tugged a little bit stronger until the blonde reluctantly stood up. Engulfing her in his arms, Natsu nestled his face against the top of Lucy's head.

"I didn't mean that."Slightly rocking their bodies from side to side, Natsu continued. "I'm real sorry, Luce."

It seemed like forever before Lucy finally moved her arms, slowly touching Natsu's chest with the tip of her fingertips before wrapping her arms around his back. "You've been really moody lately, Natsu..."

Natsu pursed his lips. He knew his mood was in the gutters lately–in fact, for _weeks_. Lack of sleep and overtime did its damage. It was clear to him, though, that the damage was not only done to himself and his body, but his relationship with his wife as well. "I know. I'm sorry."

To Natsu, there wasn't much he could do other than say his apologies. He couldn't make promises. He couldn't make promises to get home more early, to cut work, or to get more sleep. Promises like those were impractical because he didn't know if he could even uphold them. It was better to give no promises at all rather than to give a hallow one.

If he hadn't been listening or if the room hadn't been as quiet as it was, Natsu would never had heard Lucy's sniffle. When he tried to look at her face, Lucy only hugged tighter, pressing her face harder against Natsu's chest, restricting him from seeing. Natsu stood still for a while and only moved to place a soft kiss on top of Lucy's head.

"I shouldn't have shut you down," Natsu admitted. "You were just trying to help me out."

A silent moment passed before Lucy lifted her head up. "I'm worried about you, Natsu. You know that, right?" Natsu nodded. "Sometimes I think that getting this house all the way over here was a mistake. I feel so guilty at night, Natsu," she cried with a breaking voice. "You did all this for me and now you're like this. I–"

Natsu cut her off with a sharp look in his eyes. "Stop it. You have no right feeling guilty about anything. I love you. I did this for you. Why I'm like this has nothing to do with you. Its because of work, so don't go blaming yourself for my lows."

"But if we had just picked some place in the city, then–"

"It'd still be the same," Natsu argued. "It would still be the same amount of work load and the same amount of unreasonable issues I have to go through on a day to day basis. Plus, you wouldn't have the quiet life you need to concentrate on your books, and I know how important the one you're working on right now is. That's why we're here. That's why I chose listed places where its quiet. I did it for you and if I had the chance to change anything back to when we were house hunting, I wouldn't change anything, because I promised you something like this and I got it. It's our little haven from the city, Luce."

Biting her lips, Lucy glanced down. She dropped her hold around Natsu's back and, instead, held him by his shirt. "The commute is too long. You drive in the early morning and late at night. I don't want you to get into an accident because you're too dead tired to keep your eyes open" she said. With a shaky breath, Lucy exhaled and looked back up.

"Natsu, please consider buying a temporary apartment in the city. Just somewhere where you can go to if you find that you don't have it in you to come home."

Natsu unhinged his mouth to argue, but Lucy gave him a look. "I don't want you gone and I don't like the idea of us being separated, but if its easier on you and your body, then–"

"Luce, at least at the end of the day there's you," Natsu interrupted. "I might be tired as hell and I might _look _like hell, but at least I get to come home to you."

"If you fall asleep driving, then no, Natsu,"Lucy said in a stern, broken voice. "You won't. You'd be dead and the next place I'd be seeing you is at the morgue, identifying your body!"

Natsu dropped his arms and put his hands on the blonde's shoulders. "Luce–"

"Natsu, I did the math, alright?" Lucy said, trying to change the subject from something less morbid. "Its easier and more convenient then having to check into a hotel over and over again."

"Lucy, I don't care," Natsu groaned. "If anything, you're the only one keeping my feet on the ground–keeping me _**sane**_. Sleeping at some apartment in the city might mean I get an hour or two more of sleep, but that'd be fucking isolating me from you, damn it!"

"Then let's sell the house!" Lucy said desperately.

Natsu looked at her aghast. "What?"

Lucy furrowed her brows. "Let's sell it. Let's move back to the city. It'll be–"

"No," Natsu said adamantly. "We're _not _selling this house. I got this house for you because it's perfect for you and what you need."

"But, Natsu–"

"I said no, Lucy," Natsu said, giving his wife an apologetic look. "I don't want you to have to give this up. I don't want to take you to a place where it's always about the fast life–the loud hustling and bustling of the city."

Moments passed before the blonde asked, "Then what do you want to do?"

Looking down at her, Natsu rubbed the back of his neck before cupping one side of Lucy's cheek. "Fine. We'll..." He clicked his tongue and heaved a deep breath. "We'll look for something–but we're gonna sit down and plan everything out," he said sharply. "Like, if I'm scheduled to have a busy week, you have to come and visit me at least four times a week to cook for me. Because I need you too, Lucy. Not just sleep. I need you in bed with me, whether that's to just go to bed together or do something more."

Slowly, Lucy nodded, slightly happy that Natsu had agreed. "We won't let distance be a problem. We'll call–No, _**I'll **_call. I'll call during your lunch breaks and everything. You have to call me if you decide to come home for the night, but as for the weekends, you have to try and come back for at leats those two days. Saturday and Sunday, I mean, because I need you, too."

Catching and interlacing their hands together, Natsu relaxed his shoulders. "When do you want to go start looking?"

"Doesn't everything we do depend around your schedule?" Lucy kindly reminded with an attempted smile.

The remark was true. Everything that they did together had to fit with Natsu's schedule. It didn't used to be. Back in their newly wed prior, Natsu wasn't as busy as he used to be and had more room to change his activities at work. Now, it was structured. Some things like meetings and presentations couldn't move, and it was very rare for everything else to be rescheduled just because someone wanted a day off with their spouse or lover. Even though things have changed, they had learned how to cope with these strained changes, especially Lucy. Natsu was slow at noticing, but it was only because he was part of it all. Lucy noticed more because she was the one sitting idly, watching her husband go up in rank and leaving her at the beginning.

"Let's go when you have a day off."

"I don't have any days off, Lucy."

Lucy gave her husband a small laugh and a light punch on the side. "I know." She sighed in an exaggerated fashion and shrugged. "I'll look at listings and we can go together when you do have the time. If not, I'll do it for you."

After studying Lucy's face for a moment, Natsu softly asked, "Are you sure about this?"

Gently, Lucy nodded. "Yes. It'll just be like owning two houses. It'll be fine." Hugging Natsu again, Lucy buried her face in Natsu's chest again as her husband wrapped his arms around him. "We'll be fine."

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"Fine" perfectly described their situation, but fine only lasted for a while. For weeks their arrangements turned out okay. After finding an apartment for Natsu when he didn't feel like he could safely go home, they put their plan into effect. On night when Natsu decided to stay in the city, Lucy–if she could–would quickly prepare some food, take a fairly long ride on the subway, and then a cab just to give Natsu his dinner. She always made sure that the food tasted just right and that it was something Natsu was probably craving, which she had developed a sixth sense for after being married for nearly two years.

Natsu tried to go home on the weekends like they had arrange, but he found that exhaustion would just devour him by the end of the week and wouldn't allow him the well-being to do so. So, after many attempts and a few successful tries, Lucy smiled at him and told him that it was alright to stay in city and that he didn't need to strain himself just to go home. At first, Natsu was hesitant in accepting the blonde's kind gesture, but in the end he began staying the weekends in the city. And even though the apartment was supposed to be used for those difficult moments when he couldn't get himself home, Natsu began to use it frequently each week until it'd been months since he last stepped foot on the property he had gotten the two of them. In a way, their little haven was blurred in his memory, replaced by the practical function that the large one bedroom apartment in the city had to offer; convenience.

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On Lucy's part, she began to frequent the apartment less and less due to the deadline of her very first book. She would take the time and try to reach Natsu by phone or video call when she could, but but like everything else, those moments declined in numbers also. When Natsu was working at the office, Lucy was sleeping after writing and planning until the break of dawn when she would finally collapse on her bed alone.

And in the rarity of those moments where Lucy would have luck on her side when calling her husband, their conversations were always brief. Overtime, it had gotten bland with the casual and usual questions of "How have you been?" and "Have you eaten yet?". The calls were always kept brief because of the simple fact they both knew how one or the other either needed to go to sleep or go to work.

One night as Lucy lied alone in their bed with nothing to look at–but the full moon glowing past the window and the soft waving of the thin curtains–she thought about their decision. She contemplated about what was happening. She felt a rift between them. Distance was not a kind factor, but nor was it an impossible feat to overcome. The fact that they rarely saw each other in person wasn't a very big factor. To her, it was more. Distance didn't matter because even if they were living under the same roof, the situation still wouldn't change. Both of them would still be too busy for each other. It'd be the same situation, but with different circumstances.

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Back in college, Lucy had an interest in different languages. One of the things she'd often do to Natsu was leave him messages in foreign languages that she knew her business-minded boyfriend would have no idea how to read. To her, that was the fun part; watching Natsu do work in deciphering her message.

Lucy always made sure to keep her messages simple, but meaningful. Oftem times, they were just "I love you" notes. Natsu, despite looking and acting like a cold-shouldered brute, would always write back the words, but in Japanese, the language that both of them shared.

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One of the things that Lucy picked up in her many days of following Natsu around the library was an interest in binary codes. As Natsu would sit and look through stacks and stacks of reference books for an upcoming test or quiz in one of his classes, Lucy would look over the shoulders of other students, observing them as she usually did since she was more of an observer than a doer. It wasn't until she looked over on student's book that her interest was caught by the amount of ones and zeros on the page.

The student was writing in a language Lucy recognized, but their eyes were glued to the book. It took a moment for her to realize that they were translating the numbers. No matter how much the blonde beauty stared, she couldn't figure out how the hell they were getting letters from what looked like a random arrangement of the first two positive numbers–though one could argue that zero is neutral.

It was then that Lucy stepped back and ran back to where Natsu sat. Then she quickly asked her knowledgeable boyfriend what she just saw, to which Natsu answered with his usual face, "It's binary code, Luce."

Binary.

Binary was simple, yet secretive to a point where only a few of the general public could understand. Not only that, but it had some sort of "cool" factor to it that drew Lucy in. Cracking a smile, Lucy thanked Natsu, quickly kissing her bookworm boyfriend before wandering around the library in search of something that would teach her the art of Binary.

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In their early days together as a married couple, back in their tiny apartment, the two of them would dedicate Saturdays to movies. Some days they would watch romantic comedies and other days, they would watch a dramatic family movie that would leave one of them–most of the time, Lucy–in tears.

In times like those, Natsu would pet Lucy's head and tell her not to cry, that it was just a movie, and that crying wouldn't change anything about what just happened. To that, Lucy would huff and argue, challenging Natsu by asking him whether or not it was wrong to wish for a different outcome. The pink-haired man would answer, telling her that there was no point in wanting a different ending because the movie was done and there was nothing changing it.

Lucy would proceed to call him an insensitive brute, to which Natsu would ignore the remark, lean over, and kiss Lucy's movie-included tears away.

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Once Lucy's first book was published, she finally felt free. She felt as if she could finally go visit Natsu, but with the success that came with its publication, a full schedule also ensued. The one night that Lucy wanted to visit Natsu, it was spent with general talk. Lucy still said "I love you" and Natsu also, but it didn't have the same warmth dripping from the words like it used to way back then.

And when they made love that night, there was a need, but all the while, it felt forced. Both of them felt it. They felt the rift between them. There was a fear between them that they sought to fill up by making love like they used to, but there was no helping it. Natsu was tired. Lucy was tired. But, they still put up the effort to feel something despite craving sleep and rest over a lustful night with each other.

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Board games were something that they used to enjoy on Friday nights. When Natsu would come home at around six, Lucy would prepare dinner and pick out a game board to play with. After eating, brushing their teeth, and a little bit of heated play, they would take out the game and begin. Sometimes there were stakes. One time, they played Monopoly. Every time Natsu would buy out one of Lucy's properties, the blonde had to take something off. Natsu–being the business major–always played tactfully and would have Lucy stark naked within the first thirty minutes of the game.

Their board game nights would never last long. The creaking of the bed would always last longer than their games. And when they finished, Natsu would whisper, "I win." Lucy would smirk, pull them closer and shake her head.

"No. _**I **_won,"she'd say, kissing Natsu deeply. "You're mine. Forever."

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"I've got a book sign even this weekend, Natsu. Isn't that amazing?" Lucy said, smiling into the webcam.

Natsu returned her a tired smile. "Really, now. You're book's doing good?"

Nodding, Lucy grinned. "Yeah, it's pretty high up on the charts for new authors. I'm really really happy about that."

"Congratulations, Lucy."

"Thanks, Natsu." There was an elongated silence following them for a second. "So, will you come? Please?"

Opening his mouth, Natsu hesitated. He knew that he most likely wouldn't be able to go so he didn't know why he said, "Sure."

Beyond Natsu's notice, Lucy's eyes lit up. "Buy a book! I'll sign it for you!"she joked. Then she glanced down at the time. "Ah, I have to go now," Lucy said, yawning.

Natsu bit down the argue to yawn also. "Alright. Bye."

"Bye," Lucy said, nodding. "Oh, are you coming home this weekend?"

"Luce, I–"

Hiding behind a smile, Lucy waved him off. "Its okay! I already knew the answer anyway, so you don't need to say anything. I understand... You should come back some time, though. I planted some nice flowers out in the yard. You'll love them." Seeing Natsu's face, Lucy knew that her husband didn't know how to respond to that. Feeling like she was making her husband feel bad and guilty, Lucy picked up the mood, even if it strained her face. "I'll take photos for you, okay?"

"Okay."

"Bye, Natsu. I love you."

Natsu took a moment. "Bye, Lucy."

Lucy waited for the "I love you" part that would usually ensue, but after two seconds, she nodded and signed out. She reasoned that Natsu was just too tired to remember; he was too tired to remember those three simple words.

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Lucy had the habit of carving on trees. Back when Natsu would usually had the weekends off, they'd leave their apartment and go to the park. That was where Lucy would use a sharp object to carve their initials onto the wood. Natsu would keep on the lookout, worried that some sort of authority figure would arrest his whimsical wife for damaging a tree, even if she was doing it for love.

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After the signing event, a crowd of people showed up, but no matter how much Lucy craned her head, she couldn't see her dragon anywhere. Figuring that perhaps he was running a little bit late, Lucy went on with her day, signing happily for fans and curious onlookers who were interested in getting a book signed by a possibly famous individual. She had hoped and held Natsu's promise to heart, but as the crowd died down and Natsu was still nowhere to be seen, Lucy's heart felt a little empty.

She knew she shouldn't have taken it to heart. Natsu was busy, she knew that. But she also knew that Natsu didn't make promises he knew he couldn't keep, yet he still told her that he'd be there.

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The next time they video called, Lucy didn't try to appear like she was happy, because she wasn't. "Upset" was the word, bu she didn't want to lash out because Natsu was busy. He had an excuse not to go to some stupid book signing. But it wasn't just a "stupid" book signing to Lucy. It was her first and she wanted Natsu to be there, but he wasn't, and that was that.

Natsu was too tired to see what was wrong. He had apologized, but Lucy's mood didn't seem to lighten up despite the fact that she had said it was okay. In turn, it irritated Natsu, making him cut their call short and call it a night.

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With success came a strain. Time was no longer available for leisure. It was no longer available for one to spend time with their loved ones or reconnect with friends. Time no longer provided intimate months. It provided the opportunity for productivity in one's line of work.

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Like old photographs, their relationship began to change. Like the faded images of pictures that were once bright and vibrant, their relationship had grown stale and quiet. They had become strangers in their own marriage, often forgetting the moments that they used to have together back when things were simpler.

The calls became less frequent. The text messages were brief. Visits were rare. They had basically stalled.

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Two years and eleven months in their hanging marriage, Natsu stood in his bedroom, looking at his picture perfect self in the mirror. He fixed the cuffs and perfected his salmon hair. He looked at the time and found that he was on schedule, but with no minute to spare. But despite his clock-work routine, he couldn't help but sit down at the edge of his bed, heaving a heavy sigh as he stared at his open wall.

His heart felt weighed down and it had taken him weeks–perhaps a month–to self-diagnose his issue. It was uncertainty. He struggled with the horried thought of not being in love with his wife anymore, but as the recent days passed, he found that he could deny it no longer.

He felt lonely, but Lucy was too out of reach for him. Natsu knew that he still loved the blonde haired author, who he'd sometimes see in the papers or online, but he knew that he didn't feel the same way like he used to be. They hadn't made love in months. Lucy rarely visited. Date nights were never a thing, because they weren't possibly with their schedules. In fact, the more Natsu thought about it, he saw more of Lucy through their short and infrequent video calls than he did in person.

Turning his head, he looked at his empty bed. He missed it. He missed the attraction, the activities–_**everything**_. The distance was one thing. The isolation was another. The lack of communication foreshadowed in the end, but it was the heavy feeling in Natsu's heart that brought the gavel down on the block.

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Sometimes Lucy thought about moving on, but her heart wouldn't let her. She still loved her dragon despite the fact that every night he went home to "their" quiet estate only to lie in a bed with a cold side unoccupied at the end. She missed the nights when they'd stay up just whispering to each other. She missed the board games, the trees, and the movies. The only thing that would sometimes get her through the day were photographs from their wedding day.

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Natsu was obligated to go to his company's annual Christmas party for appearances sake and had to reject Lucy's offer to come back home for the holidays. Like always, Lucy said she understood and hung up soon after. The lack of argument and Lucy's peaceful conceding bothered Natsu. He thought that maybe if Lucy had fought for his time a little harder, he would've said yes. But then he reminded himself that he couldn't have said yes. He was busy.

With a relationship dry and cold like the weather, Natsu moved on. With a drink in hand and a smile on his face, he lifted his eyes. It was there at that annual Christmas party that he met Lisanna.

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During one of the hardest times in Natsu's finals week, Lucy sweet talked Natsu's roommate, Gray, into letting her into their room early one morning day of Natsu's exams. She placed three pieces of Natsu's favorite candy near his textbooks before tiptoeing over to Natsu and gently putting a sticky note on his head. With a smile on her face, Lucy quietly laughed before backtracking and quietly leaving the room.

When Natsu woke up thirty minutes later from his alarm clock, the first thing he noticed was the paper stuck on his forehead preventing him from rubbing his eyes. Taking it off, he squinted his eyes and took a closer look at the letters. As his eyes focused, he noticed that the written items weren't letters, but rather, zeros and ones.

"_**01000111 01101111 01101111 01100100 00100000 01101100 01110101 01100011 01101011 00100000 01101111 01101110 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 01110010 00100000 01100101 01111000 01100001 01101101 01110011 00101100 00100000 01100100 01110010 01100001 01100111 01101111 01101110 00100001**_"

Natsu's eyes dragged down and looked at the bottom part of the message.

"_**01001001 00100000 01101100 01101111 01110110 01100101 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100001.**_"

Despite having just woken up, Natsu took the time to decode the note. As he walked to his class that morning, he quickly and efficiently copied the numbers onto his cellphone. Using a translator, he read what Lucy had written for him.

"_**Good luck on your exams, dragon!**_"

Lastly, Natsu translated the shorter message at the bottom.

"_**I love you!**_"

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Christmas passed and all that was shared between them was a card on Lucy's part. A simple gift was also sent. Lucy didn't know what to send, so she sent three pieces of candy.

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.

It should've felt wrong, and maybe it did, but as time went by, the office attraction grew. What went from innocent glances eventually involved into something more physical starting from when Lisanna took a step and slanted her lips over Natsu's.

And when Natsu laid Lisanna down on his bed, he did away with the voice inside his head that kept telling that Lisanna didn't belong there. The voice kept telling him that it was Lucy's bed as well as his, but never Lisanna's. To this, Natsu executed his conscience, reasoning that Lucy was no longer there, that they were estranged, and that he needed something–something that Lisanna could give him and Lucy could not.

Just before Lisanna lowered herself on Natsu's body, she took his hand and slipped his wedding ring off, tossing it to the side where it silently fell on the floor.

.

.

It was in late spring that Lucy suffered pain. She began to notice it when the headaches that she began to frequently have wouldn't go away. She also noticed her body being fatigued. After two weeks of trying to cope with the use of pills, she caved. There wasn't much in her mind about what was wrong with her other than the thought that it was just headaches and issues that would soon go away with a magic pill from the doctor.

She went in expecting nothing and came out with the feeling like the whole world was on her shoulders, bearing down on her heart as well.

.

.

They told her that she was scheduled to have a CT scan the next day, but for once, Lucy truly didn't want to do it alone. The first person that came to mind was Natsu, her beloved husband. Quickly taking the subway, Lucy headed over to Natsu's apartment, holding back the tears and trying to maintain a strong front.

Afterwards she jumped in a cab, only to freeze when the driver asked her for an address. She realized that in that moment she didn't know. She wasn't aware. She tried to recall, but she couldn't remember the address she had once known like the back of her hand. Flustered and upset, unable to explain her sudden and temporary memory loss, Lucy jumped out of the cab and opted to run, because unlike the address, she remembered with faded memory the streets and the corners where her rides in the past had usually turned.

She had a hope that perhaps they'd reconcile and take one night to make up for the year of blatant time lost. Lucy had hoped and she imagined, but as her eyes focused in on Natsu coming out of his apartment building with someone with their hands intertwined and their faces smiling in happy content, Lucy stopped and watched as all those hopes fell apart.

And like the pain that she had felt in those past weeks, her eyes watered slowly, before trickling down until she could no longer bear any of it anymore. With shaking knees and blinded eyes, she took a step back and turned the other direction. Alone.

.

.

Six months into the year, in the beginning of summer, Lisanna sat on Natsu's bed, waiting for him to come back from the shower. In her hand was Natsu's wedding band, which Lisanna kept turning and turning, inspecting every aspect and every detail. It had passed the time long enough for Lisanna to be entertained when Natsu came back to the room.

"What're you doing there, Lisanna?" Natsu said with a small smile.

Shrugging, Lisanna's stoic face remained. "I was just thinking–actually, I've been thinking about this for quite some time, really."

Zipping up his pants and grabbing for a shirt, Natsu looked at the white-haired woman. "What's on your mind?" When he saw the ring in Lisanna's hands, Natsu sighed. "Lisanna.."

"Natsu, why don't you just divorce her?" Lisanna burst.

"Lisanna, she's–"

"You've been estranged for so long," Lisanna said. "Your relationship was already beyond dead when I met you. Why're you dragging something when neither of you feel anything for each other anymore?"

"I just can't slap divorce papers on her so suddenly," Natsu argued. "She needs some notice, at least."

"Then _give _her a notice," Lisanna said, gripping the ring in her palm. "In fact, have one of those lawyers deliver court papers to her. That's notice enough, don't you think?"

"That's–"

"–_**Natsu**_." Lisanna gave him a look. "It's better to end things now, you know. So we can really have a fresh beginning. Then you and _I_ can get married and the both of you can move on. You're with _me _now, let's face it. She probably has someone else, too."

Natsu's throat tightened at the thought of Lucy having another man. It was hard to imagine and ultimately struck a chord in him. "Lisanna..."

"I love you, Natsu, and I know you love me, too," Lisanna rasped. "So just do it, please. For us. For her. For _**all **_of us."

.

.

On Monday nights, Lucy would slip inside Natsu's dorm room and climb into bed with him. Natsu would stir, but end up wrapping an arm around his petite girlfriend, and Gray would wake up the next morning with another roommate.

.

.

0:00:01

Natsu stood outside the house that he once shared with Lucy for a short period in time. He remembered the promises that he had held and the hopes and dreams that they had, but at that moment, past things like that were dust to him, because they were things that he hadn't thought of in countless months. Gathering up his courage, he lifted up his hand and knocked on the door. He expected the door to open and to be greeted by Lucy, but it took longer than he had thought and the person who had opened the door wasn't his soon-to-be ex-wife.

"Hello."

The lion-like haired man that had opened the door smiled up at him. "Hey there." After a small pause, he asked, "I'm guessing you're Natsu Dragneel."

Nodding, Natsu confirmed. "Yes, I am."

"Well, come in,"he said, stepping aside. When Natsu was inside, he closed the door behind him. "I'm Loke, by the way."

"Nice to meet you," Natsu said, holding out his hand.

"You too." he replied, shaking his hand. "Lucy should be down here any minute." Then, with a softer, but sadder look, he said, "She's been expecting you."

It hurt Natsu a bit to hear those words, but there was no helping the truth in them. He had filed for divorce and he was sure that Lucy got the notice two weeks prior. Of course, Lucy was expecting him. If anything, standing in that foyer made him slightly nervous as to how Lucy would react. He imagined Lucy yelling and screaming at him, shedding tears with eyes that sought for blood.

But this image didn't hold up. When he looked up on the staircase where Lucy was making her entrance, Natsu caught the smile that used to make his heart stop–and it still did. Natsu stood at the entrance of the house, heart-stricken and heart-stopped by Lucy. Snapping himself out of it, Natsu approached her slowly. "Hey."

Walking towards her husband, Lucy opened her arms. Without even waiting for Natsu to make the first move, gave him a hug, before pulling back at an appropriate time. "Hi, dragon."

Natsu's lips thinned. He didn't want to be called "dragon" anymore. It brought back too many things that would drift him off course from his purpose. "Don't call me that anymore, Lucy."

With her mouth slightly open, Lucy nodded understandingly. "I'm sorry,"she said with a laugh. "I forgot that we were divorcing. Of course." Patting Natsu on the arm, Lucy turned on her heel and crooked her finger. "Let's move over to the living room, okay? Loke, can you go make Natsu some tea? I'll have water."

"Do you want lemon, Princess?" he asked.

"No, Loke. Just plain."

"Right away," Loke said, clicking his tongue and making his way towards the kitchen.

Natsu watched as he left, wondering about Lucy's relationship with him. In his mind, Lisanna's words reverberated. Maybe Lucy found someone just like how he found Lisanna. They both found people who were convenient to be with.

Once seated, Natsu studied Lucy's face. "You look a little...tired, Lucy. Sleeping alright?"

It took a moment, but Lucy nodded with a smile. "I've just been working a little hard lately. That's all."

"Okay..." Natsu took a breath for a second before opening his suitcase. "As you know, I came with things for you to sign."

"Of course."

"It won't take long."

"I know."

"I'm trying to make this as painless as possible for you, Lucy."

The blonde laughed softly. "It'll never be painless."

Natsu looked into Lucy's eyes. "I'm sorry..."

"I'm okay..."

Unable to stand the heavy atmosphere, Natsu moved on. He took the papers out and slid them across the coffee table over to Lucy, who sat across him. As Natsu noticed, Lucy moved a little slow, but he figured that she was just afraid to face the reality the papers would bring.

As Lucy lifted the papers and scanned over them, Natsu spoke. "You're basically acknowledging that we both want this. It also means that you're willing to go to the court dates and meetings where we'll discuss how to split everything. But, Lucy, the house...this house will remain with you, I promise you that."

"You promise me?"

"Yes."

"You promised me things at the altar, too," Lucy said softly in a ghost-like whisper. "But here we are." Not wanting her husband to dwell on it, Lucy waved the subject off. "So where do I sign?"

"At the bottom of the page," Natsu said. He reached into his pocket. "Do you need a pen?"

"Yeah."

As their fingers brushed against each other when Natsu gave the pen over, he noticed Lucy's body temperature. "Are you cold?"

"No, I'm fine."

"But your hands aren't usually cold. They're warm."

"I'm glad you remember."

A minute passed and Natsu watched as Lucy held the pen, yet never moved it. "Luce–"

"Hey, Natsu," Lucy said brightly, looking at him with that smile that made Natsu feel like he was back in their college days. "Can I ask you for something?"

Knowing what he was putting Lucy through, Natsu nodded. "Sure. Anything."

Lucy held Natsu's gaze softly before asking, "Please stay one week with me, Natsu."

"Lucy, I–"

"Natsu, please."

"I can't."

"Why, Natsu?"

"Because of Lisanna."

Lucy held her breath. She knew about Lisanna. She knew about the white-haired woman who would answer her calls for Natsu. Still, Lucy couldn't help, but feel a shot of pain in her chest. "It's just one week..."

"It's one week too long."

"We've been married for almost four years, Natsu," Lucy said with a sad smile. "One week is all I'm asking for, dragon."

Natsu thinned his lips. "What do you expect to happen over seven days, Lucy?"

Even though the silence grew, there was a certain type of calm in the air. Lucy had looked away, but when she answered Natsu's question, she looked solemn and honest. The tired look in his eyes made her look innocently beautiful and calm, and that was something Natsu couldn't help, but notice.

"I'm not expecting anything to happen..." Lucy slowly said, lacing her delicate fingers. "For one week, I just want you to pretend, Natsu," she said with a voice that threatened to break. "I want you to love me the way you used to..."

"Lucy–"

With a sad smile on her face, Lucy put up a hand. "I said 'pretend'. Remember that, dragon." She laughed lightly. "You don't have to be in love with me. I already know you're not anymore. I just want you to pretend. I won't ask anymore of you. This'll be the last promise you'll ever have to hold for me..."

.

.

1440

It felt odd being in the house again, but even more, sleeping in a different room other than the one he shared with Lucy–or used to. As he lied in his bed that first night, he contemplated his situation. He felt like if God decided to smite him right then and there, he would have deserved it for doing what he was doing. It still didn't sit well with him to know that after months of barely any contact, he finally contacted Lucy only to break his news of wanting a divorce. But in the end, in his mind, it was inevitable. They weren't functioning together anymore. Natsu moved one way. Lucy moved the other.

He turned his head to the right and looked out the window. And as he took notice of the bright stars up in the sky, Natsu wondered what else living in the city had prevented him from ever seeing.

.

.

One of Natsu's concerns were clothes; he hadn't brought any seeing as how he wasn't planning on sticking around for more than a few hours. When he told Lucy about this dilemma, Lucy smiled and told him not to worry about it. As the time came around to retire for the night, she had taken Natsu to a guest room near what was once their shared bedroom. Lucy left for a moment, but came back a little while later with three shirts in her arms while Loke, who was following close behind the blonde, had plenty more including pajamas, skirts, shorts, and more t-shirts.

"I couldn't carry them all," Lucy had explained. "They're too heavy for me."

Natsu then looked at the small pile that Lucy and Loke had carried and set it on her bed. "They don't look that heavy."

"They weigh like a ton to me," Lucy said quietly.

When Lucy left after Loke, bidding Natsu good-night, he recited a sequence of numbers before leaving. Unable to understand the binary, Natsu moved on. But the more he stood there alone in his room, the more a certain curiosity ate at him as his eyes drifted back to the stack of clothing. Then he moved over to the bed, gathered everything and lifted it up.

It wasn't heavy.

.

.

Despite the circumstances of his situation and the angry text messages he received from Lisanna that night before, Natsu woke up with a peaceful calm. He couldn't figure out why that was. Maybe it was because he wasn't in the city and, for once, had sleep that didn't involve the background noises of sirens and cars. Or maybe it was the house itself. Lucy didn't miss a detail in making every room in the house comfortable and warm.

He took a quick shower and slipped into the clothes that Lucy lent to him. It wasn't until he looked in the mirror that he saw his appearance and realized something: Lucy had given him the clothes he had left behind.

Bitterness washed over him. He didn't know whether Lucy had done it on purpose, which Natsu knew she probably didn't. There were questions in his mind as to why Lucy still had them. They were old. He hadn't worn them in years. He left them behind.

Why hadn't Lucy gotten rid of them?

The more he looked in the mirror, the more Natsu realized he looked the way he used to be. It was funny how a few old clothes and no hair products made him look the way he was two to three years ago. But that was contrary to how he felt. It wasn't funny. It was bitter and it burned something inside of him. Maybe it was guilt. Natsu didn't know. He just wanted to get through six more days and go home.

.

.

Natsu was distant. He didn't know how to act, despite the fact the Lucy had only requested him to pretend. How do you act to pretend? It was a cycle that had no answers.

Breakfast went a little rocky, but Lucy tried, making Natsu feel like he needed to try also. Loke had made coffee. Lucy requested Natsu's coffee to be black. Then she requested milk with for her coffee. And when Natsu gave her a look, Lucy grinned at him and sheepishly shrugged.

"I still remember,"she said. Then she opened her mouth, wanting to tell Natsu that every so often she would review the things that he liked so she wouldn't forget. But in the end, she closed her mouth and hid behind a smile.

.

.

"There's a tree that's not too far from here, Natsu," Lucy said when Loke was cleaning up their breakfast.

"What do you want to do with a tree?"

For a moment, Lucy gave Natsu a blank look before softly looking at him. "I want to carve something."

In that moment, it clicked in Natsu's head. He remembered Lucy's old hobby of writing their initials in the bark of trees, saying taht it'd be there for the entire woruld to see. Natsu frowned. "Luce–"

"Let's go, Natsu."

"Don't do this."

Lucy couldn't catch herself. Her smile faltered for a visible split second. "We're only pretending, remember?"

The key word was "pretend". Natsu didn't know why Lucy wanted to do something so cruel as to pretend when they both knew nothing that was happening was actually real. He could see how everything was hurting the petite blonde. But still, it was only for a week and it was Lucy's one condition for signing the papers. It was the most Natsu could do, so in the end, he nodded.

"Okay."

.

.

In his short time there, he noticed that Lucy moved a little slow at things. Sometimes, it'd take her a minute to process something complex and when she had to do a task that involved too much labor, Loke was around to do things for her.

Natsu still couldn't understand Lucy's relationship with Loke. He didn't know whether he was a housekeeper, a butler, or a boyfriend–though "boyfriend" was out of the question since their interaction seemed strictly brother and sister. But even though Natsu couldn't draw the line as to what it was, he knew very well that Loke was protective over Lucy for whatever reason.

As he walked in the foyer, he could hear Lucy and Loke's voices around the corner. With ears perked, Natsu couldn't help, but eavesdrop.

"Are you sure you want to walk that far, Lucy?" he could hear Loke's concerned voice say.

"I've walked there plenty of times, Loke. I'll be alright."

"But, that was before..."

"It's okay. I have Natsu."

The conversation ended there. In the next moment, Natsu saw Lucy turn a corner and start walking towards him. Behind her, Loke tried to keep a happy and calm look on his face, but Natsu could see the distinct look of true concern.

.

.

They walked for ten minutes on a path and only came upon the tree Lucy was talking about when they went off the trail. After a fair amount of vegetation, Lucy pointed at a tree that seemed to be the master of all trees around it.

Natsu watched as Lucy happily inspected the tree's base. Then he took a seat as Lucy started to work on her tiny project. As he watched, Natsu felt something warm inside of him just by looking at the sighed of the tiny blonde against the gigantic tree. It was a pleasant sight and for the first time in so long, Natsu let his guard down.

After five minutes of trying to penetrate the hard wood, Lucy sighed and turned to Natsu, holding out her pocketknife. "Can you do it for me?"

Natsu blinked before rising to his feet. He walked over and gently took the sharp object away from Lucy. "Is the wood hard to cut?"

"I'm just a little tired."

Natsu glanced at her. "Did you sleep well at all last night?"

Silence grew for seconds before the blonde answered. "Yeah.."

"Then why're you tired?" Natsu asked, looking back at the tree and inspecting the knife in his hand.

"I've been kinda sick for a while now..." Lucy replied.

"Have you gone to the doctor?"

"Yeah, I did.."

"And?"

"They said it was just a cold," Lucy said, looking away. "They told me I'd be alright.."

"Just a cold, huh?"

"Just a cold."

Natsu pursed his lips and pointed the knife at the tree. "So, what do you want me to write?"

"Binary."

Natsu snorted, but he smiled softly anyways. "It's always binary with you, Luce."

"Numbers can say things that humans never have the courage to say in words sometimes," Lucy said, smiling back. "Where words are vague, numbers are clear."

They paused for a second before Natsu moved again and Lucy slowly told him the sequence. By the time Natsu was done, an hour and a half passed. In the end, it wasn't wasted time. They talked about the past and the times that made them laugh until tears were pouring out of their eyes.

Lucy laughed for the first time in so long and it seemed to unlock something in Natsu's ears as the beautiful sound filled them. For so long, Natsu was deprived of the laugh that made him look twice at Lucy back in their college years. And now, with the ringing back in his life, Natsu was flooded with different types of emotions. He wasn't sure how to feel. All he knew was that he felt warmness inside his chest and the beating of his heart coming back to life.

And by the time that it was all done, they walked back together to the house at Lucy's slow and staggering pace, leaving behind a message in the forest that read:

"_**01001001 00100111 01101101 00100000 01110011 01110100 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01101001 01101110 00100000 01101100 01101111 01110110 01100101 00100000 01110111 01101001 01110100 01101000 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00101110**_"

And if Natsu had known binary, he would have known what the numbers were trying to tell him.

_**I'm still in love with you.**_

.

.

That night, Natsu felt something warm crawl into bed with him. When his eyes cracked open, he saw the outline of Lucy's figure standing over him against the moonlight. Then in a quiet voice, Lucy asked, "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

He should have hesitated, but Natsu didn't. He moved and flipped the covers over. "Come on in..."

Slowly, Lucy laid herself down. She kept her distance, facing the other way, but it was Natsu who unexpectedly pulled them together. It wasn't necessary. There was nothing in their deal about physical contact, but Natsu wrapped his arms around Lucy's waist anyway. It surprised the blonde for a second, but then she settled into her husband's strong arms, biting back tears as she tried to fall back to sleep.

.

.

2880

They spent the second day singing. Natsu hadn't touched a guitar in so long, he surprised himself by playing fairly well. He messed up on certain notes and couldn't keep up with certain tempos, but all in all, Lucy clapped and smiled at her husband, praising him for remembering so much despite the years of lacking practice.

While Natsu played the guitar, he also sang, but it was Lucy who sang for the most part–or at least she tried. Her voice cracked and she couldn't go as high as she used to the way Natsu had remembered. She would look upset, but Natsu would nudge her with his knee and give her a smile. Then they'd continue on with Natsu singing the leads and Lucy falling back to being the one singing along. Neither of them minded the change in roles. Their voices were still harmonized.

When the sun set and the stars came out, Lucy took a blanket outside and invited Natsu. In the yard behind their house, Lucy set the blanket down, and with the help of Natsu, they laid it out.

Lying on their backs, they lied in comfortable silence watching the stars glow. When Natsu commented on how rare the stars were in the sky, Lucy mentioned the light pollution.

"They keep you from seeing the sky. It distracts you."

"It keeps me from seeing this every night."

"Yeah..." Lucy replied gently. "It does that."

.

.

4320

Natsu didn't know if Lucy had always been clumsy. The first time Lucy knocked over a glass of water seemed like an accident, but when she squinted her eyes, trying to reach another glass twenty minutes later only to knock it down again, Natsu could see that something was definitely wrong.

When they settled on the living room floor, getting ready to play a series of board games that Loke had gotten from the attic, Natsu couldn't help, but ask. "Are you okay, Lucy?"

Raising a slightly interested brow as she dusted off the games, Lucy hummed. "Yeah, I'm perfectly fine."

"I meant your health," Natsu clarified. "Are you sure it's just a cold?"

"What else could it be?" Lucy shrugged. "I'm tired all the time because of it, Natsu."

Natsu felt that there was something more, but he didn't push on. "I see you taking medication sometimes," he muttered. "Are those for the cold, too?"

Lucy paused before she lifted the top off the Monopoly game. "Yes... They're for my cold. I get headaches sometimes."

Slanting his lips, Natsu said, "Maybe you should go see a doctor again."

"Maybe I should.."

The atmosphere was heavy, but as soon as the game started, it lightened. They had no stakes. No one was promised into taking off clothing for every property lost, but the laughter and joke-like insults were all real and no pretend.

.

.

5760

On the fourth night, they huddled together under a blanket on the living room couch. The two of them–along with Loke, who sat on the floor–watched Titanic, one of Lucy's favorite movies. Natsu knew that Lucy would be gushing with tears in the end, but to his surprise, the blonde female, who was too tired to even stay up past ten, fell asleep leaning against his shoulder.

She looked so peaceful even in the dark with only the lighting beaming from the television illuminating her face. Natsu took note of it. Deciding that it wasn't worth Lucy waking up sore from sleeping in such a way, Natsu rose from the couch and picked Lucy up in his arms.

Loke got up to help, trailing right behind Natsu until he set Lucy in her own bed. After pulling off her shoes and tugging on the covers until it covered the fatigued female's body, Natsu turned around and faced Loke, who was watching everything he was doing.

"Is she always this tired?"

There was a silence. "Not always," he answered back.

Looking back at Lucy's sleeping self, Natsu sighed. "She said she's been suffering from a cold."

"A cold..." Loke mumbled.

"Tell her to get medical attention if it gets worse."

Loke began to start, but failed to go through with his own words. He heaved his shoulders and nodded. "I'll tell her." He stood there for a few more minutes before figuring that Natsu wanted to be alone with Lucy. Retreating, he left the room.

Once Loke had gone, Natsu's gaze turned completely onto Lucy. Moving his hand, he swayed the blonde hair out of Lucy's face. They weren't as soft or as glossy as they used to be–or at least how he remembered. Natsu didn't know what to think. In his mind, the cause might've been stressed. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw the laptop that Lucy had open and plugged in.

In the end, Natsu reasoned that it was stress due to working too hard on another book. Leaning down, Natsu hesitated at first, but conceded to the desire. He kissed the top of Lucy's forehead and let his lips linger for a moment above the fragile blonde before pulling back and stepping out of the room.

.

.

7200

During their rift, Natsu was often too ever pay attention to Lucy's plan and her work. He knew Lucy's interests in general, but work always caused him to be too tired to care. In the afternoon, for the first time, Natsu sat down and listened to Lucy's plans.

Lucy moved slowly, but Natsu was used to her pace now. He was also used to Lucy occasionally forgetting things or having stalled responses. It wasn't a rare occasion for Lucy to rub her eyes and close them for a while. Natsu, tring to do what he could, would go and retrieve water whenever possible.

Papers splayed out on the living room floor. There were small papers with notes on them as well as stapled packets. Lucy spread them out and Natsu watched as she struggled to organize them the way she wanted–_if_ that was why she kept looking frustrated and confused.

"So," the blonde started. "these are all my ideas and plans."

"There's a lot," Natsu commented, looking at the mess. "Are these the ideas you had years ago?"

"No. I threw away everything I had back then."

The pink-haired man raised a brow. "Everything?"

Nodding, Lucy confirmed. "I threw away everything in late spring."

"Why would you do that?"

"I wanted to start over. I realized I've been writing total nonsense."

"Well, _nonsense _is your thing, isn't it?" Natsu said, offering a smile.

"It is, but I wanted to try something different."

Glancing down at the words on paper, Natsu grinned. "Well, I'm sure it's gonna be good. Just like the rest."

Looking back at Natsu, Lucy's eyes twinkled as her lips curved into a smile. "Thanks, Natsu."

"Your welcome."

After a moment, she asked, "Will you read it?"

Natsu blinked. "Your book?"

Nodding, Lucy said, "Yeah. Once its published." Then she added, "I won't make you promise me that you'll read it, though. I already told you that this week is the last thing I'll ever ask of you.."

Feeling a heavy tug on his heart, Natsu lifted a hand and turned Lucy's face towards him. "I'll read it, Lucy."

Lucy looked more sad instead of happy, which was the complete opposite of what Natsu expected. Biting her lips for a second, Lucy nodded again. "Thanks.."

"No problem."

When Lucy paused for a second to close her eyes and take in deep breaths, Natsu looked at her with a concerned look. "Headache?"

"Yes..." Lucy said weakly. "Just a headache.."

.

.

8640

Natsu looked at his phone and saw Lisanna's text messages. He answered them briefly and curtly before turning his cellphone off again. When he went to the kitchen, he found Loke alone, which was what he needed. Coughing slightly for attention, Natsu stepped back instinctively when Loke turned around with a knife in his hand.

"Oh," he said. "Hello, Natsu."

"Hello." Natsu fixed his posture for a second and fixed his shirt, which he was pretty sure was from his college days. "I–uh.. Wanted to ask you a favor."

Loke fixed his glasses and looked at him. "What kind of favor?" he asked, cautiously.

"Can you make Lucy's favorite food tonight? And do you have any wine?" he asked.

"Wine..."

"To accompany the dinner," he justified.

"I think Lucy would be better off with just water, Natsu.." Loke mumbled.

Natsu was taken aback for a moment, but then he nodded understandingly. "Alright. No wine. But can you make the food?"

Setting the knife down angrily on the counter, Loke crossed his arms. "What are you up to?"

"I'm just trying to give her a nice dinner."

"Why?"

"It's my last night here."

With thin lips, Loke sighed. "Natsu, don't. You're not doing anything good for Lucy by doing this. You know that this is only going to hurt her right? You're going the extra mile for her for one night, but you're leaving her the next day. I know you're just trying to be nice, but this is just cruel."

Natsu froze. He didn't know what to say. "But, I want to do this. Not to hurt her, but rather to make up for everything I did."

"What's there to make up for when all you're going to do is leave her for another person the next day?"

Taking a step back, Natsu felt a panging in his chest. It was true. It was the cold hearted truth. Tomorrow he was going to leave the house with those signed papers, never to look back. He'd be leaving Lucy behind with nothing, but the house and some money. It felt horrible because for the last few days, he had been escaping the reality. Now, the night before he had to leave, Natsu didn't know how to deal with it anymore.

Swallowing, Natsu tried. "Loke, its for one night. Please."

Loke stared hard at him before turning back. "Fine."

Natsu wanted to sigh in relief. "Thank you."

After a few seconds, Loke asked, "Do you still love her?"

"What kind of question is that?" Natsu muttered, unsure of the answer.

"It's a reasonable question."

Thinking, Natsu realized that he really didn't know. He felt conflicted. The word "home" no longer had a definite meaning. The days he spent in the house felt more warm to him than the apartment that he had been living in for years. Lucy's laugh seemed to soak him pleasantly in its sound whereas Lisanna's laugh seemed like a mere replica that tried to affect him the same way Lucy's did. Her eyes were more tired than Natsu had ever seen them, but in the recent days, despite how faded Lucy's eyes had gotten, Natsu could see the light that was once there.

There should have been no hesitation for his heart knew the answer, but his head–the master of all his thoughts and actions–intercepted the confident answer from his heart and distorted it, leaving Natsu speechless and confused. His heart said yes, but his head flashed him the image of Lisanna.

After waiting for minutes and still not getting an answer, Loke shrugged it off. "Never mind that I asked. I'll cook for you tonight. Make her happy, even if it's just for one night."

.

.

A few candles lit the room. Dimmed lights set the mood. The food was set on their plates.

When Lucy walked on, she bit her lips so hard, she thought she'd bleed. She wanted to back out and run away because it didn't seem real, but when she felt Natsu's chest against her back and his hands on her shoulders encouraging her to move forward, Lucy had no choice, but to comply.

After they sat down, they began to eat. They didn't speak for the first few minutes, but gradually the conversation moved. It lightened even more when Lucy grinned and commented on their appearances. Natsu was wearing a plain shirt and shorts. Lucy wore a t-shirt and pajama pants–along with Natsu's scale scarf that he left for her a long time ago. Neither of which was proper attire for what was supposed to be a romantic dinner date.

And once they were all done, Lucy rose from the table after thanking Natsu. She planned on heading off to wash her hands, but when she rose, Natsu rose faster than her and walked over to her, pulling her up. He led Lucy to the living room, which was just as dimmed and filled with the small flares from the scented candles as the dining room.

Then he took the music player's remote and hit play, initiating a flow of slow music out of the speakers. At this point, Lucy was shaking. It was too much for her to bear. She wanted to drop down to the floor, but Natsu's arm wrapped around her waist kept her up. With his other hand, Natsu took Lucy's right and intertwined them as they began to sway from side to side.

It was a sweet moment, but for Lucy, it also brought her pain. And even though Natsu rested his cheek against the top of Lucy's head, and even though he kept them swaying to the soothe sound from the speakers; he could hear Lucy crying against him.

As Natsu's grip on the blonde against him, he clenched his eyes and bit his lips. He tried to ignore the dryness of his throat and fought the heavy urge to silently cry as well.

.

.

.

.

10080

When morning came, Natsu didn't feel like going back to the city anymore. But he just had to. That was where he belonged. He functioned there. That was where his life was. It was where Lisanna was. Heaving a sigh, he got out of bed and checked his phone. There were plenty of missed calls from his girlfriend and Natsu figured it was about time to call back.

He got an earful when Lisanna immediately answered. There was a lot of "Why didn't you call me back!?" and "You've been ignoring my texts!" thrown around, but as the minutes dragged on and Lisanna had calmed down, Natsu plainly explained to her that he'd be going home that morning. In a huffy voice, Lisanna conceded, telling him to do it quickly so they could move on with their lives. Soon after, they hung up.

Natsu took off the clothes that made him the man that once belonged to another time and slipped back into the clothes that he arrived at the house in last week. He fixed his hair and fitted his suit. Soon after, the next time he looked in the mirror, he recognized the miserable fuck that he had been for the last years.

In the kitchen, he saw Lucy sitting beside the table. When he looked up, Natsu noticed that her eyes were red. It was obvious that Lucy had been crying all night, which made Natsu's chest twist in unimaginable ways even more when Lucy smiled.

"Good morning."

"Good morning."

A silence ensued as Lucy glanced down and took the folder that was in front of her and held it out to Natsu with both hands as if one hand was not enough to lift the lightless folder. "It's all signed."

Natsu grimaced as his fingers took the folder from the blonde. They were shaking, but Natsu tried to control his body. "Thank you."

Nodding, Lucy looked away. "Will you be staying for breakfast?" she asked quietly.

"N–no..." Natsu replied softly. "I have to get back to the office in the early afternoon.. I have to leave as soon as possible."

Without looking at him, Lucy nodded as her body trembled. "I–I understand.." Giving Natsu one last look, Lucy smiled until it hurt everything inside of her. "Thank you for everything, Natsu," she said in a shaky voice.

Natsu felt gutted. He wanted to pull Lucy out of her own chair and kiss her, cry, and tell her whatever he needed to say in order to make both of them feel better. He wanted to fix things. He wanted to stay. Natsu genuinely wanted to stay. He didn't want to go back to his job or to his apartment. His heart yearned to stay in the place that it had always called home, but Natsu's body disagreed.

With a stoic face, Natsu gulped and nodded, accepting the fact that Lucy had yet again looked away. "It's no problem. Thank you...for the papers." Knowing how Lucy wasn't going to respond to that, Natsu continued. "Take care, Lucy."

"Bye, Natsu," Lucy said in a whisper like voice. Her face was still turned towards the table, refusing to even look up.

In a way, Natsu was thankful of the fact that Lucy was refusing to look at him. He would have seen the sorry look on her face. With a heavy heart that didn't want to be wretched from where it wanted to be, Natsu took a step back before turning on his heels.

"Goodbye, Lucy..."

.

.

When Natsu returned back to his apartment, it was like he returned back as another man. It was funny to him how one week made him despise all he had been for the last two years and what he had done. Lisanna greeted him happily, but Natsu found that it hurt to smile. He wanted to cry, but he couldn't. He didn't want to cry because then his thoughts would go right back to Lucy. Instead, he forced his body to wrap his arms around Lisanna.

.

.

Four months had gone by and Natsu still felt like he was floating right on by life. Fall was in the midst–perhaps in its end–and the colors of the trees had changed. Not only had the leaves changed, but his marital status had also changed. The ring on his finger was no longer the one he exchanged with Lucy, but rather a new one that Lisanna had urged the both of them to get. He was engaged for the second time in his life and Natsu admitted to himself that he didn't feel as happy the second time around as he did the first time.

Finally having days off, Natsu strolled around a park alone where he delved into his thoughts. He still felt empty, especially when there were trees around because they reminded him of the blonde beauty that used to carve their initials into them.

Thinking about Lucy was a daily thing. There was no helping it. Natsu still felt a little bit black and white against his colorful background, but there was no helping it. All the blood and the color seem to have drained out of his life when he opened the door and saw Lucy's lawyer standing in the hallway. At first, Natsu had thought it was about their impending divorce. In a way, he had hoped that Lucy changed her mind, which would have given Natsu the excuse to call everything off. But life was cruel.

The lawyer was there for something more grim; something more morbid. And even before the lawyer could go into the details of property and money. Natsu had broken down on the floor.

They told him it was brain cancer.

It wasn't a cold. Natsu was angry for the longest time at his deceased wife for lying. He was angry because of the fact that Lucy never even bothered to tell him that he had been suffering all along. It was after the news that everything made sense.

Lucy's strong and painful headaches, her slowness, her weakness, her fatigue, her forgetfulness, her clumsiness, and Loke's overprotectiveness began to click and piece together. And still she had the strength to smile and pretend like everything was fine, and that was the fact that stabbed Natsu right in the heart. Lucy had been suffering and deteriorating, and he had the cruel mind to hurt her even more by asking her to sign divorce papers.

It had taken Natsu time to recover, but he knew that he never would. His mistakes were branded on his soul and it was something he couldn't erase. His regrets stayed with him all that time. He regretted not listening to his heart; he regretted being too busy for even to nurture their relationship; he regretted putting work over his own wife; Natsu regretted so much that it pained him to a point of insanity.

But, he had to move on no matter how much it hurt.

He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky, watching as his breath created white smoke in the cold weather. Having his shoulders, he kept on walking in the direction of home, which, to him, wasn't what he could actually call _home_. _Home_ was the tiny estate out in the country that he had once shared with Lucy. _Home_ wasn't in the city. It never was.

As he walked, he kept his eyes down until he reached the end of the block. Along with other people, he waited for the walk signal to turn on. In his wait, his eyes wandered until it hit a large chain bookstore right behind him. He would have looked on and ignored the store, but the face and name in the display window caught his eye.

The walk signal turned on. People walked. Natsu walked the other way.

He entered the store and immediately went to the stack of new books. Taking one, this eyes studied it as he felt his heart race and clenched.

It was Lucy's last book. The one she wanted Natsu Dragneel to read.

With no hesitation, Natsu quickly took the book to the counter and bought it.

.

.

That night, as Lisanna worked throughout the night at the office, Natsu read the book and cried. When he read the author's note at the beginning, he didn't understand why Lucy had chosen to write it until he read the story. By the time Natsu had read every word and closed the book, tears streamed down his face as he realized that the book was _**their **_story, but with the ending that both he and Lucy had secretly yearned for in their hearts.

"_**A certain dragon would always tell me that it's pointless to cry at the end of movies that don't end the way we want because it wouldn't change anything, and I would always ask him what was so wrong with wishing for a different outcome.**_"

Unable to take any of it anymore, Natsu tossed the book on his bed as he took his jacket and left the apartment. And beyond his knowledge, when the book landed, it opened to one of the last pages where Lucy had typed her final messages.

"_**00001101 00001010 01010100 01101000 01100001 01101110 01101011 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 00100000 01101100 01101111 01110110 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101101 01100101 00100000 01100101 01110110 01100101 01101110 00100000 01101001 01100110 00100000 01101001 01110100 00100000 01110111 01100001 01110011 00100000 01101010 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 00100000 01100001 00100000 01110111 01100101 01100101 01101011 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100001 01101110 01101011 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 00100000 01101101 01100001 01101011 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101101 01100101 00100000 01100110 01100101 01100101 01101100 00100000 01100001 01110011 00100000 01101001 01100110 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01101100 01101111 01110110 01100101 01100100 00100000 01101101 01100101 00100000 01100001 01100111 01100001 01101001 01101110 00101110 00100000 01011001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01110100 01101111 01101111 01101011 00100000 01101101 01100101 00100000 01100010 01100001 01100011 01101011 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01100001 00100000 01110100 01101001 01101101 01100101 00100000 01110111 01101000 01100101 01101110 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01101100 01101111 01110110 01100101 01100100 00100000 01101101 01100101 00100000 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100111 01110011 00100000 01100001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01001001 00100000 01100011 01101111 01110101 01101100 01100100 00100000 01100101 01110110 01100101 01110010 00100000 01100001 01110011 01101011 00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 00100000 01101001 01101110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01110011 01101000 01101111 01110010 01110100 00100000 01101100 01101001 01100110 01100101 01110100 01101001 01101101 01100101 00101110 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101100 01101111 01110110 01100101 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00101100 00100000 01100100 01110010 01100001 01100111 01101111 01101110 00101110 00100000 01010100 01101000 01100001 01101110 01101011 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 00100000 01100101 01110110 01100101 01110010 01111001 01110100 01101000 01101001 01101110 01100111 00101110 00101110 00101110**_"


End file.
